Saturday morning December 31

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lipsand our mouth will proclaim your praise.

You laid the earth’s foundations in the beginning,and the heavens are made by your hands.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, sovereign God,creator of heaven and earth,to you be praise and glory forever.As your living Word, eternal in heaven,assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh,may the light of your love be born in usto fill our hearts with joy as we sing:Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,so may the light of your presence, O God,set our hearts on fire with love for you;now and forever.Amen.

He will not refuse the songOf the stammering infant’s tongue;Babes he hears humanely mild,Once himself a little child.

Let us then our Prince proclaim,Humbly chant Immanuel’s name;Publish at his wondrous birthPraise in heaven and peace on earth.

Triumph in our Savior’s love,Till he takes us up above,All his majesty displays,Shows us all his glorious face.

Confession of sin

Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Almighty God,patient and of great goodness:I confess to you,I confess with my whole heartmy neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments,my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking;the hurts I have done to others,and the good I have left undone.O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you;and raise me to newness of life;through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

May the God of love and powerforgive us and free us from our sins,heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 102

Refrain:You, Lord, rule forever! Your fame lasts from one generation to the next!

Lord, hear my prayer! Let my cry reach you!Don’t hide your face from me in my time of trouble!Listen to me! Answer me quickly as I cry out!Because my days disappear like smoke, my bones are burned up as if in an oven; my heart is smashed like dried-up grass. I even forget to eat my food because of my intense groans. My bones are protruding from my skin.I’m like some wild owl— like some screech owl in the desert.I lie awake all night. I’m all alone like a bird on a roof.All day long my enemies make fun of me; those who mock me curse using my name!I’ve been eating ashes instead of bread. I’ve been mixing tears into my drinks because of your anger and wrath, because you picked me up and threw me away.My days are like a shadow soon gone. I’m dried up like dead grass.

But you, Lord, rule forever! Your fame lasts from one generation to the next!You will stand up— you’ll have compassion on Zion because it is time to have mercy on her— the time set for that has now come!Your servants cherish Zion’s stones; they show mercy even to her dirt.The nations will honor the Lord’s name; all the earth’s rulers will honor your glory because the Lord will rebuild Zion; he will be seen there in his glory.God will turn to the prayer of the impoverished; he won’t despise their prayers.

Let this be written down for the next generation so that people not yet created will praise the Lord: The Lord looked down from his holy summit, surveyed the earth from heaven, to hear the prisoners’ groans, to set free those condemned to death, that the Lord’s name may be declared in Zion and his praise declared in Jerusalem, when all people are gathered together— all kingdoms—to serve the Lord.

God broke my strength in midstride, cutting my days short.I said, “My God, don’t take me away in the prime of life— your years go on from one generation to the next!You laid the earth’s foundations long ago; the skies are your handiwork.These things will pass away, but you will last. All of these things will wear out like clothing; you change them like clothes, and they pass on.But you are the one! Your years never end!Let your servants’ children live safe; let your servants’ descendants live secure in your presence.”

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:You, Lord, rule forever! Your fame lasts from one generation to the next!

Psalm prayer

Have pity on our frailty, God,and in the hour of our deathcast us not away as clothing that is worn,for you are our eternal refuge;through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament readingIsaiah 59:15b-21

The Lord looked and was upset at the absence of justice.Seeing that there was no one, and astonished that no one would intervene, God’s arm brought victory, upheld by righteousness, putting on righteousness as armor and a helmet of salvation on his head, putting on garments of vengeance, and wrapping himself in a cloak of zeal.God will repay according to their actions: wrath to his foes, retribution to enemies, retribution to the coastlands, so those in the west will fear the Lord’s name, and those in the east will fear God’s glory.It will come like a rushing river that the Lord’s wind drives on.A redeemer will come to Zion and to those in Jacob who stop rebelling, says the Lord.

As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord. My spirit, which is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth won’t depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your descendants, nor from the mouths of your descendants’ children, says the Lord, forever and always.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingJohn 1:29-34

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before me.’ Even I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him. Even I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and testified that this one is God’s Son.”

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:To us is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and all the heavenly hosts now sing,Glory to God in the highest.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:To us is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and all the heavenly hosts now sing,Glory to God in the highest.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:

the day and its tasksthe world and its needsthe church and her life

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Loving God, we look to you.Receive our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,you have given us your only-begotten Sonto take our nature upon himand as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:grant that we, who have been born againand made your children by adoption and grace,may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.

Conclusion

May God, who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, bless us and fill us with peace.Amen.